His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama: The Nature of the Mind
Nottingham, England, 24 May 2008.Transcribed, translated in parts, and lightly edited by Alexander Berzin.

Levels of Mind

There’s the demarcation of sentient beings and non-sentient beings and, concerning sentient beings and mental activity in our daily lives, there are also different levels. When we are awake, when we dream and when we’re in deep sleep and then when we are unconscious – at each stage, there’s a deeper level of mind. Continua »

His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama: How to Deal with Negative Emotions.
Nottingham, England, 24 May 2008Transcribed and lightly edited by Alexander Berzin.

The Definitions of “Good” and “Bad” or “Positive” and “Negative”

How do we deal with negative emotions? This is an important topic – one that brings up the question of what’s positive and what’s negative. Is there anything that’s absolutely negative or absolutely positive? I don’t really know. Everything is interdependent and everything has different aspects. Continua »

The Importance of Investigating the Reality of a Situation

Inner peace is related to mental calmness. Physical experience doesn’t necessarily determine our mental peace. If we have mental peace, then the physical level is not so important.

Now, do we develop inner peace through prayer? No, not really. Through physical training? No. Just through gaining knowledge? No. Through deadening our feeling? No. But when facing any difficult situation, if, on the basis of full awareness of the benefits and harms of any possible action and its consequences, we face that situation, then our mind is not disturbed and that’s real inner peace. Continua »

His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama: What Is the Self, Does the Self Have a Beginning, Will It Have an End? Nottingham, England, May 26, 2008. Transcribed, translated in parts and slightly edited by Alexander Berzin.

Introductory Remarks

When we speak about religions or about spirituality in general, it’s important to develop respect for each of the different traditions. For that, it’s important to know and appreciate the essence of these religions in order to appreciate their value. This is part of the value of promoting religious harmony. Continua »